IN HOMS, NO ONE CAN HEAR YOU SCREAM

IN HOMS, NO ONE CAN HEAR YOU SCREAM Homs has been under siege for 19 days. The tanks and artillery of Bashir al-Assad have formed a ring of steel around the city where the revolt against the regime first drew breath. For most of this period as well as for most of the last year, the world has depended on amateur videos over the Inter Net for information on a war by a Government against its own people that appeared so vicious as to be beyond belief. Foreign journalists and media have been banned by Assad and his Alawite henchmen to keep the world ignorant of the atrocities that have sparred no one.

VADA A BORDO GOP

VADA A BORDO GOP!!!! Right now the American ship of state resembles the Costa Concordia more than it does “a shining city on the hill”. Our economy is in shambles despite small decreases in unemployment due to people leaving the workforce altogether. Our national debt is 102% of our GDP putting us in a class with Greece and Italy. Our uncontrolled government spending is around 25% of GDP when it should be between 18% to 20% . The Congress has not passed a budget in over a thousand days and over 25 budget and jobs bills passed by the House of Representatives have been pronounced dead on arrival by Harry Reid when they land in the Senate. President Obama vetoes the XL Keystone pipeline after all environmental tests have been met… killing 20,000 jobs or more and his out of control EPA threatens the most prosperous state in the nation…North Dakota… with regulations that will stop oil fracking in it’s tracks.

The Experiment of our Founding Fathers

I've noticed a revisionist attempt to desparage the "radical" ideals of the founding fathers, ideals which are now recognized as the basis of modern conservatism in the United States. No one called them conservatives back then and they probably couldn't imagine what Mormonism would become either. Looking back, with one eye or two, we would certainly call them "conservatives" by our modern day definition. Even as certain individual founders might have preferred a "king", the experiment in democracy was only that, an experiment. What it became as it was tested in actual practice, is what it really was and still is today, conservatism. To single out one moment in time to label our founders and their evolving principles in any other way, is simply not valid. And that is Universally accepted, but probably not University accepted.

THE AGE OF "SOYLENT GREEN"

If you live long enough, a lot of science fiction, begins to resemble reality. David Brooks' Bastille Day NYT's essay this past July entitled "Death and Budgets" is the kind of sophisticated sophistry that the "chattering classes" of the right and left love to embrace over cocktails to prove that there really is common ground on issues of importance. In this instance however it is the effort to find moral consensus for what constitutes a life of quality and then shoehorn it into politics,policy, legislation and regulation.The insertions of bookkeepers with lampshades between Doctors and patients and their families is really a predictable result of living beyond our means and looking for the lowest of low hanging fruit to balance our national ledger.

CONFESSIONS OF A CONSERVATIVE… CIVIL LIBERTIES AND HUMAN RIGHTS

The persistent accusation that conservatives are not sympathetic to and are even hateful towards individual civil and human rights for all individuals who live within broadly acceptable norms of lawful behavior  is  I believe, either not true or overstated for emotional or political reasons.
Some in the LGBT community for example, are currently making that charge due to certain campaign ads by Gov. Rick Perry in Iowa.  Others cite the reactions to  the efforts of Secy. of State Clinton to protect the civil and human rights of  such persons via  economic, political  and diplomatic sanctions by the US, within the over 70 nations that now criminalize gay and lesbian people.

While it is ironic that Secy. Clinton makes this effort while addressing the inappropriately named UN Human Rights Council in Geneva,  her efforts are important nonetheless, and should be supported by all people who believe in the basic natural  rights of  all individuals.  Many if not most conservatives, don’t like addressing rights on a group basis.  Yet history has an unpleasant way of reminding us that the most prevalent way of demonizing individuals is by demonizing the “group” they either identify with or are associated with by others.  Hence the struggle for equality and at times survival often must begin with group identity but should always end with individual liberty.

AN OPEN LETTER TO CONSERVATIVES WHO WANT TO PLAY POLITICS WITH IMMIGRATION

First and foremost I am a conservative who is a husband, son, grandson, nephew and cousin of immigrants. In addition my extended family all live abroad including two stepdaughters, one stepson and all my grandchildren and there is literally no way I and my wife, who is a US citizen, can bring them to the United States so that our family can be reunited and I can enjoy the comfort of their love and presence in my final years. The other part of my family all came here legally and with regard to my wife, at great expense while overcoming barriers this government has thoughtlessly put in the way of those who try to do things by the rules…rules, I must add that seem to keep changing by the year.

My wife has an application to bring our youngest unmarried daughter here that will take by our best estimate, 20 years before it is even reviewed. I will be long dead by then. I raise all of this to make three basic points : One is that legal immigration is broken in this country and is in itself a cause of illegal immigration. We simply do not have a comprehensive and coherent policy as to who we want to let into this country and why we want them here. If we did we would not now have job shortages in certain parts of the country in agriculture and skilled trades that inexplicably unemployed Americans don’t seem to want to fill.

My second point is that the statement that Speaker Gingrich made on how to deal with undocumented individuals who have been here for a substantial period of time, have sunk deep roots into this country and have families here, has been one small part of his very public comprehensive plan on immigration for months as well as a reflection of his views in this area for years. It is not amnesty but a path to legality he seeks. The two are distinctly different.

More Stupid Socialist Perfidy

Yes again, more stupid socialist perfidy as California's politicians pass a law to have affiliates of online retailers like Amazon, Overstock, and others, collect California sales taxes on their sales and send them to the state. The obvious result of this, which of course socialists will never understand, is that Amazon and the others have eliminated their affiliate programs in California. So, the again-obvious result is that the income the affiliates would normally pay state income taxes on, will be gone, and there will be no sales tax collected at all. As most people understand, except the California socialists, there will be less revenue collected for the state and there will be a flight of hundreds, if not thousands, of business' to the business-friendly states like Arizona, Texas and Florida. Nationally, the current socialist government wants to have a national sales tax on these internet sales and then pass the collected revenues on to California as a way to make everyone pay. If they get their way, online sales will be completed in Canada or Mexico or the Bahamas. Internet sales taxes are already paid by these retailers, but only if they have a physical presence in the state, like a factory or warehouse. The freedom of the internet is being attacked by these treacherous, greedy politicians.

Lamestream Media Falls on Their Collective Asses

NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams seemed to take smug delight Friday night in pointing out how Sarah Palin’s off-the-cuff recounting of Paul Revere’s ride was at odds with the correct history, smirking that Palin’s version “already has tongues wagging.”
This was stupid, and I don't mean Palin. The lamestream media used Longfellow's 1860 well-known poem about Paul Revere's ride as the basis for their ludicrous, "factual" attack. Anyone who really knows history knows she was exactly correct. Paul Revere himself, wrote about the event and Palin described it exactly. Apparently, after noting that Obama said he had visited all 57 states, Palin decided to throw out stickers for the media to roast themselves on. It should be noted that NBC, CNN and USAToday were the only ones taking the bait. ABC, CBS, and Fox appropriately ignored Palin's new tactic. LOL

Newt and media hypocricy

Newt Gingrich is to announce his candidacy for presidency today and the media hypocrisy will be flying. First let me say: Yes, he has baggage and yes, his behavior while speaker was disappointing; and no, I don't know if I will support him. But once he announces, the gloves will be off. The first attack: his infidelities and three marriages. This behavior will be analyzed and scrutinized as if it were Khalid Sheikh Mohammed trying to board an airplane. Yet Newt has been candid about his personal failings and by all accounts has finally established a stable relationship the third time around -- it has lasted 16 years and 11 years of marriage. Yet while his dalliances involved consenting adults and is long in the past, the media will be much harsher on him than President Clinton, who by many accounts, was a sexual predator who did not give up his ways even upon entering the White House -- or since. A second attack; his wife Callista. Already, left wing satirical web sites are calling her a Stepford Wife. Yet she is a smart, independent, articulate woman -- and also a talented musician. This is just the standard liberal narrative for all conservative women.The third attack: his post-congress work, especially with Citizen United. Forget his prolific and at times brilliant writing, his sharp commentary and his uncanny understanding of policy. President Obama's ties to Acorn, Rev. Wright and terrorist Bill Ayers be damned. The media will be indignant about Newt's conservative initiatives and will insist on a proper "outing" of Newt -- despite the fact we know much more about Newt than we do about the current president even now. When I moved to Georgia in 1993, soon to be Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich represented my district (interestingly my home town district produced current Speaker John Boehner). No political scientist (right or left) thought it possible for Republicans to gain control of the House after 40 years -- it was mathematically impossible. But Newt's brilliant Contract for America did it. He believes, unlike the current administration, in American exceptionalism. He deserves serious consideration. There are legitimate concerns about Newt -- too much of a policy wonk to be a leader and his intestinal fortitude to name a couple. No doubt, he botched his speakership a bit. But focus should be on examining legitimate issues -- not the hypocritical muckraking we are about to see from the media. Here is some background by someone who knows him well: http://www.boortz.com/weblogs/nealz-nuze/2011/may/11/newt-gingrich/

Should Oil Companies Pay More Taxes

I think every reasonable person wants big business to pay taxes (most pay no tax on profits) but we also have to be prepared for the consequences (it's happened before). The fly in the ointment is the depletion allowance tax credit. A producer only has a finite amount of oil in their reserve and in order to pump it out when the incentive is low, the gov't. gives them a tax credit for each barrel that is removed or "depleted" from the oil bed. The price of oil/gas will skyrocket as American producers slow down or stop producing in order to keep their same profit (less oil means higher gas prices as they try to maintain that profit). Additionally, the position of our government is not to find more of our own oil.; more of our dollars will end up in Saudia Arabia, Mexico, Venezuela and Brazil instead of here. Remember, we can't force American producers to pump more oil for less money. So, again we see the "buzz-word generation" urging action on something they know nothing about. What will you do if, like many experts think, the price of gas goes to $6/gal. this summer? It's estimated that living in the suburbs and driving to work and back will cost $60-$80 per week, eliminating everything except food, gas and taxes for most low and middle earners. Remember, this has happened before, and the results can readily be projected. The more government interferes with business, the more it costs each of us. Additionally, these companies pay several other taxes, like the Job and Family Services tax that is based on their employee's salaries; they pay half of the social security and medicare taxes... and there are other, larger state and local taxes. Tax collections will decrease when these companies make less profit and employ fewer people causing us to fill the gap with our own higher taxes or fewer benefits. This "simple" tax problem is so complicated that adding more parameters to the equation will certainly have many undiscovered consequenses. The philosophy of Ayn Rand is starting to play out for everyone to see, and very few to understand, I'm afraid. We're tiny, minuscule gogs in this wheel. Where is John Galt?

"I'm 63 and I'm Tired"... Robert A. Hall

Robert A. Hall is one of the few Republicans to win election to the Massachusetts Senate from a heavily democrat district. He served 5 terms. His article should be required reading for every man, woman and child in the United States of America.


"I'm 63 . Except for one semester in college when jobs were scarce and a six-month period when I was between jobs but job-hunting every day, I've worked hard since I was 18. Despite some health challenges, I still put in 50-hour weeks, and haven't called in sick in seven or eight years. I make a good salary, but I didn't inherit my job or my income, and I worked to get where I am. Given the economy, there's no retirement in sight, and I'm tired. Very tired.
I'm tired of being told that I have to "spread the wealth" to people who don't have my work ethic. I'm tired of being told the government will take the money I earned, by force if necessary, and give it to people too lazy to earn it.
I'm tired of being told that I have to pay more taxes to "keep people in their homes." Sure, if they lost their jobs or got sick, I'm willing to help. But if they bought McMansions at three times the price of our paid-off, $250,000 condo, on one-third of my salary, then let the left-wing Congress-critters who passed Fannie and Freddie and the Community Reinvestment Act that created the bubble help them with their own money.
I'm tired of being told how bad America is by left-wing millionaires like Michael Moore, George Soros and Hollywood Entertainers who live in luxury because of the opportunities America offers. In thirty years, if they get their way, the United States will have the economy of Zimbabwe , the freedom of the press of China , the crime and violence of Mexico , the tolerance for Christian people of Iran , and the freedom of speech of Venezuela.I'm tired of being told that Islam is a "Religion of Peace," when every day I can read dozens of stories of Muslim men killing their sisters, wives and daughters for their family "honor"; of Muslims rioting over some slight offense; of Muslims murdering Christian and Jews because they aren't "believers"; of Muslims burning schools for girls; of Muslims stoning teenage rape victims to death for "adultery"; of Muslims mutilating the genitals of little girls; all in the name of Allah, because the Qur'an and Shari'a law tells them to.
I'm tired of being told that "race doesn't matter" in the post-racial world of Obama, when it's all that matters in affirmative action jobs, lower college admission and graduation standards for minorities (harming them the most), government contract set-asides, tolerance for the ghetto culture of violence and fatherless children that hurts minorities more than anyone, and in the appointment of U . S . Senators from Illinois.
I think it's very cool that we have a black president and that a black child is doing her homework at the desk where Lincoln wrote the Emancipation Proclamation. I just wish the black president was Condi Rice, or someone who believes more in freedom and the individual and less arrogantly of an all-knowing government.
I'm tired of a news media that thinks Bush's fundraising and inaugural expenses were obscene, but that think Obama's, at triple the cost, were wonderful; that thinks Bush exercising daily was a waste of presidential time, but Obama exercising is a great example for the public to control weight and stress; that picked over every line of Bush's military records, but never demanded that Kerry release his; that slammed Palin, with two years as governor, for being too inexperienced for VP, but touted Obama with three years as senator as potentially the best president ever.. Wonder why people are dropping their subscriptions or switching to Fox News? Get a clue. I didn't vote for Bush in 2000, but the media and Kerry drove me to his camp in 2004.
I'm tired of being told that out of "tolerance for other cultures" we must let Saudi Arabia use our oil money to fund mosques and mandrassa Islamic schools to preach hate in America , while no American group is allowed to fund a church, synagogue or religious school in Saudi Arabia to teach love and tolerance.
I'm tired of being told I must lower my living standard to fight global warming, which no one is allowed to debate. My wife and I live in a two-bedroom apartment and carpool together five miles to our jobs. We also own a three-bedroom condo where our daughter and granddaughter live. Our carbon footprint is about 5% of Al Gore's, and if you're greener than Gore, you're green enough.
I'm tired of being told that drug addicts have a disease, and I must help support and treat them, and pay for the damage they do. Did a giant germ rush out of a dark alley, grab them and stuff white powder up their noses while they tried to fight it off? I don't think Gay people choose to be Gay, but I damn sure think druggies chose to take drugs. And I'm tired of harassment from cool people treating me like a freak when I tell them I never tried marijuana.
I'm tired of illegal aliens being called "undocumented workers," especially the ones who aren't working, but are living on welfare or crime. What's next? Calling drug dealers, "Undocumented Pharmacists"? And, no, I'm not against Hispanics. Most of them are Catholic, and it's been a few hundred years since Catholics wanted to kill me for my religion. I'm willing to fast track for citizenship any Hispanic person, who can speak English, doesn't have a criminal record and who is self-supporting without family on welfare, or who serves honorably for three years in our military. Those are the citizens we need.
I'm tired of latte liberals and journalists, who would never wear the uniform of the Republic themselves, or let their entitlement-handicapped kids near a recruiting station, trashing our military. They and their kids can sit at home, never having to make split-second decisions under life and death circumstances, and bad mouth better people than themselves.. Do bad things happen in war? You bet. Do our troops sometimes misbehave? Sure. Does this compare with the atrocities that were the policy of our enemies for the last fifty years and still are? Not even close. So here's the deal. I'll let myself be subjected to all the humiliation and abuse that was heaped on terrorists at Abu Ghraib or Gitmo, and the critics can let themselves be subject to captivity by the Muslims, who tortured and beheaded Daniel Pearl in Pakistan, or the Muslims who tortured and murdered Marine Lt. Col. William Higgins in Lebanon, or the Muslims who ran the blood-spattered Al Qaeda torture rooms our troops found in Iraq, or the Muslims who cut off the heads of schoolgirls in Indonesia, because the girls were Christian. Then we'll compare notes. British and American soldiers are the only troops in history that civilians came to for help and handouts, instead of hiding from in fear.
I'm tired of people telling me that their party has a corner on virtue and the other party has a corner on corruption. Read the papers; bums are bipartisan. And I'm tired of people telling me we need bipartisanship. I live in Illinois, where the "Illinois Combine" of Democrats has worked to loot the public for years. Not to mention the tax cheats in Obama's cabinet.
I'm tired of hearing wealthy athletes, entertainers and politicians of both parties talking about innocent mistakes, stupid mistakes or youthful mistakes, when we all know they think their only mistake was getting caught. I'm tired of people with a sense of entitlement, rich or poor.
Speaking of poor, I'm tired of hearing people with air-conditioned homes, color TVs and two cars called poor. The majority of Americans didn't have that in 1970, but we didn't know we were "poor." The poverty pimps have to keep changing the definition of poor to keep the dollars flowing.
I'm real tired of people who don't take responsibility for their lives and actions. I'm tired of hearing them blame the government, or discrimination or big-whatever for their problems.
Yes, I'm damn tired . But I'm also glad to be 63. Because, mostly, I'm not going to have to see the world these people are making. I'm just sorry for my granddaughter."
Robert A. Hall is a Marine Vietnam veteran who served five terms in the Massachusetts State Senate.